


Goodnight, Marianne

by DAWK



Category: Normal People - Sally Rooney, Normal People - TV Series
Genre: 1x05, Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Peggy makes a tiny appearance, sleepy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:14:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24902152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DAWK/pseuds/DAWK
Summary: "Goodnight, Marianne. I'll be here in the morning."Set during 1x05, Marianne isn't *quite* ready to say goodnight to Connell, so she goes off to find him.
Relationships: Connell Waldron/Marianne Sheridan, Marianne Sheridan/Connell Waldron
Comments: 6
Kudos: 36





	Goodnight, Marianne

**Author's Note:**

> So I wasn't expecting to write something new so quickly but this idea came to me in a dream last night and *would not* leave me alone, so here we are.
> 
> Please leave kudos and comments, they mean the world!
> 
> Enjoy xo

'Mmm', mumbled Marianne, in response to Peggy asking if she was okay. She hadn't turned around to see where Connell had wandered off to, presumably to one of the bedrooms in the house to try and get some sleep before driving her hungover self home in the morning. It was times like these that Marianne loathed herself in comparison to him, although at this precise moment she wasn't thinking straight enough to dwell on it too much. All she knew was that she wasn't ready to say goodnight to Connell, not yet. 

Teresa hadn't turned up to the party after all, something that Marianne was secretly thrilled about and that Connell didn't mind too much either. Marianne had spent most of the night trying to sneak off from her often overbearing new college friends to try and find him, to get him alone and become lost in one of their typically enchanting conversations, which seemed to take on another dimension when she was drunk. Connell had essentially admitted he liked her more than Teresa anyway; the only reason Marianne regretted drinking as much as she had in that moment was because, if she was slightly more sober, Connell might have given what she wanted there and then. Considering she'd broken up with her boyfriend a matter of hours ago, it was inevitable that she would drink more than usual. However, as she sat struggling to feign enthusiasm for another of Peggy's stories, all thoughts of Gareth had left her mind completely. It was Connell she was thinking about, and it was Connell she wanted to go and find. 

"I'm going to go and lie down for a bit, Peggy, I'm not feeling too great." Marianne said abruptly, interrupting her friend mid-sentence as she climbed down from the bar stool as carefully as she could. 

"Oh okay, I'll go and find the others, then." replied Peggy, ever the considerate friend. 

Marianne squinted to focus her vision, wandering down one of the hallways in Sophie's huge house in an attempt to find Connell.

"Feel better!" Peggy yelled from a distance, causing Marianne to wince. She took a deep breath and saw the only room with a closed door at the end of the hall. She cleared her throat as quietly as she could and opened the door to what she then discovered was a games room. The lights were off and she could hear gentle breathing. Marianne could just about make out Connell's shadow, lying on one of the huge sofas that filled the other side of the room. 

"Connell? Are you awake?" she attempted to whisper, with little success, causing Connell to let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, I am. What are you doing in here?"

"I came to find you. I missed you." Marianne walked over to the sofa as Connell moved to let her sit down next to him, watching her take her shoes off as the moonlight flooded in through the curtains.

"Mm, I missed you too."

"Can I stay in here tonight, too? I promise I'll go straight to sleep, if you're tired." Marianne unzipped her dress and grabbed the blanket that was draped over the arm of the other sofa, moving slightly closer to him as he lay down again.

"Of course you can, you don't have to sleep straight away though. We can talk for a while, if you wanted to." Connell smiled sleepily as she nodded enthusiastically, lying down next to him and turning so they were face to face.

Marianne grinned, reaching out slowly to gently stroke Connell's hair, the way she used to do as he fell asleep when they would share his bed back in Carricklea.

"You're so pretty, Connell."

Connell chuckled as he closed his eyes, "Oh, yeah?"

"Mm." She replied. "You really are. No wonder Teresa practically begged me for your number."

"I doubt that, to be honest with you." he opened his eyes again, his brow furrowed as he cleared his throat. "What did you see in Gareth? Did you think he was pretty, too?"

Marianne giggled, "No, not really. He seemed pretty popular and chatty and my friends all knew him. It just made sense at the time I suppose, not anymore."

"Hmm, being popular isn't all it's cracked up to be, you know. Take it from me. Well, the old me."

Marianne ran her thumb over the top of Connell's ear, "Is it not?"

"Nope. It just doesn't really mean anything, does it? Better to have a couple of people really like you, I'd say."

"Ahhh." Marianne nodded, smoothing down the hair on the side of his head, "I really like you, Connell."

"I really like you, too." 

"Can we spend some more time together now? You can come over to the flat whenever you like, you know. It doesn't just have to be when my friends are there." 

"Am I not one of your friends, like?" Connell smirked, knowing this little dig would provoke some sort of reaction from Marianne.

"You're my best friend."

"That's nice of you to say."

"I think you're my favourite person." she said, stifling a yawn.

"And I think you're still drunk, Marianne." Connell replied, laughing and shaking his head at her as she grinned again. 

"Maybe I am. I'm not being too annoying, am I? You'd tell me, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, I'd tell you. You're fine, I think we should get some sleep, though."

"Okay, but you'll come round, won't you? It'd be nice to see each other more, like we used to."

"Of course, I'd like that. Goodnight, Marianne." Connell pulled her slightly closer as he closed his eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep.

The alcohol had suddenly made Marianne feel wide awake, as well as more emotional than she'd ever recalled feeling in her entire life. She wasn't sure why, but she wanted to hold Connell as tight as possible and not let go. The alcohol had made her able to tell him the truth without the awkwardness that often drifted in and out of their conversations - he really was her favourite person. She had no idea what would happen between them over the next few years at Trinity, not even what would happen between them the next morning. She was newly single and he seemed at least a little bit interested, so she took it as a sign. 

Maybe they would be friends for a while, eventually realise they both want something more and restart the most meaningful relationship either one of them could ever hope to have. Maybe Connell wouldn't hesitate to show her off and maybe Marianne would realise that she deserved to be treated with nothing but love and respect, something Connell gave her in spades, when she gave him the opportunity.

Maybe, Marianne thought to herself as the sound of Connell's heartbeat lulled her into a gentle sleep, they were finally growing up.


End file.
